


Feelings an Unebending Bough

by lessiehanamoray



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Birthday, M/M, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24508759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lessiehanamoray/pseuds/lessiehanamoray
Summary: A birthday fic for Goro Akechi. It's a short birthday scene with him, Joker, and Morgana, but mostly focuses on the relationship between the human characters. The dialogue is almost all part of a renga form poem, so while short it was an interesting challenge to write. Some P5/P5R spoilers, but nothing major. Definitely best if you've beaten P5R though.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just reiterating that while there are only minor, though late-game, spoilers for P5 and P5R, I think you will enjoy this most if you've beaten the 3rd Semester of P5R as I riffed off some of those themes.

Goro Akechi glared at Akira Kurusu. The leader of the Phantom Thieves laughed. Morgona sighed.

“What did you just say?”

“A happy birthday/ to you a glorious day/ smiles and laughter,” Akira repeated.

Goro wanted to slug him in the stupid grin.

The fact Akira held a wrapped gift mitigated the urge. He held it out, but didn’t say anything.

Goro sighed. Whatever Akira was up to, it was clearly some sort of game. He needed to say something before he could take the gift, and the game had to end before they could get to the cake box surreptitiously placed on the kitchen counter.

He’d repeated the haiku, dumb as it may have been, so it was clearly part of the game.

“Will you not take the present? One so carefully chosen?” Morgana added. He sounded about ready to cough up a furball as he spoke, making it quite clear to Goro that Akira had drug his feline friend into this mess.

It did answer Goro’s questions though.

He hit Akira over the shoulder with a pillow. The hardest one they had, and with all the force he could muster.

Akira only granted him a small grunt.

“You are a moron. Lovesick fool on hormones high. Drunk on delusion.”

Morgana balked.

“Then sick I be forever.” Akira placed the package in Goro’s hands. “My love for you to never end.”

“What to do with you?” Goro sighed. He carefully held Akira’s gift, a book to judge by the shape. “You traverse love’s briar patch/ yet I am all thorns.”

“I swear to you that my heart/ will survive a thousand thorns.”

“It shouldn’t have to,” Goro whispered. He knew perfectly well what thorns and storms did to a heart. “Survival and happiness/ they are not the same.”

“Goro Akechi, my love/ I need you for happiness.”

“Your wish dissuades truth. Your delusions rampaging.” He shook his head. “Nonsensical love.”

“Please bear with me and open/ both your gift and thorny heart.”

Goro played with the ribbon on his package. Unsure what else to say, he slowly untied the bow, slipping the ribbons off the plain red wrapping. He ran a finger under the seam, careful not to rip the paper.

Title and author were slowly revealed by his delicate unwrapping.

“A Wild Sheep Chase? Haruki Murakami/ not my typical.”

“But you do like mysteries. I rather enjoyed this one.”

“I always enjoy/ reading books in my spare time. This gift will bring joy.”

“You’re really such a showoff,” Morgana interjected. “Must you make this game harder?”

“Of course he has to/ for our rivalry insists. As I always knew.”

“You are certifiable/ crazy and maniacal.”

“I always tell him. You are evil as the devil.” Morgana sighed. “Yet redeemable.”

Akira gently grabbed Goro’s hands. “If they are still the same now/ feelings an unbending bough.”

“This begins to sound/ more a wedding proposal/ than ribbon unwound.”

“One day, may crystal clear spring/ adorn crow’s night feathered wing.” Akira lifted Goro’s left hand before gently kissing his ring finger knuckle.

Morgana hacked.

Goro stared. “You never do cease/ to amaze and bewilder/ my interest to pique.”

Akira slid his weight forward. A moment later warm lips pressed against Goro’s.

“I don’t always understand,” he whispered beside Goro’s shoulder, “but I want to know you more.”

Leaning forward, Goro embraced Akira in a warm hug.

“Was I lost in thought? Lost in love when my eyes close. Joker, you appear.”

Akira Kurusu opened his eyes to a dark and lonely room. The only sound that of Morgana snoring quietly beside him.

“Had I known it for a dream.” Tears began rolling down his cheeks. “I would not have awakened.”

  
  



	2. The Poem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just the dialogue/renga written out as one piece.

A happy birthday

To you a glorious day

Smiles and laughter

Will you not take the present? 

One so carefully chosen?

You are a moron.

Lovesick fool on hormones high.

Drunk on delusion.

Then sick I be forever

My love for you to never end.

What to do with you?

You traverse love’s briar patch

yet I am all thorns.

I swear to you that my heart

Will survive a thousand thorns.

It shouldn’t have to.

Survival and happiness,

They are not the same.

Goro Akechi, my love,

I need you for happiness.

Your wish dissuades truth.

Your delusions rampaging.

Nonsensical love.

Please bear with me and open

Both your gift and thorny heart.

A Wild Sheep Chase?

Haruku Murakami,

Not my typical.”

But you do like mysteries. 

I rather enjoyed this one .

I always enjoy

Reading books in my spare time.

This gift will bring joy.

You’re really such a showoff.

Must you make this game harder?

“Of course he has to.

For our rivalry insists,

As I always knew.

You are certifiable,

Crazy, and maniacal.

I always tell him.

You are evil as the devil

Yet redeemable.

“If they are still the same now,

Feelings an unbending bough.”

This begins to sound

More a wedding proposal

Than ribbon unbound.

One day, may crystal clear spring

Adorn crow’s night feathered wing.

You never do cease

To amaze and bewilder,

My interest to pique

I don’t always understand

But I want to know you m ore.

Was I lost in thought?

Lost in love when my eyes close,

Joker, you appear.

Had I known it for a dream.

I would not have awakened. 

**Author's Note:**

> Last five lines based on [ this ](http://www.wakapoetry.net/kks-xii-552/), just modified to fit the rhythm since in this case that mattered more than translation. I took the chance to better insert it into the story too.
> 
> Text link: http://www.wakapoetry.net/kks-xii-552/
> 
> I also swear I originally set out to write a cute poetry competition between the two, with Morgana providing chances for them to switch which stanzas they worked on, but it insisted on sadness. The form is called Renga, and it's a fun way to write poetry with friends. Seemed like exactly the sort of stupid thing those two would fine ways to compete over.


End file.
